


Break Down These Walls and Come On In

by littlewitch34



Series: Running With the Wolves [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, M/M, Werewolves, they're fluffy sweet werewolves in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 20:44:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16182854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlewitch34/pseuds/littlewitch34
Summary: A prequel, of sorts.





	Break Down These Walls and Come On In

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cypress_tree](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cypress_tree/gifts).



_ “Do you remember when we met?” Sonny asks Rafael one evening, late in October, sitting on the couch in their apartment. The window is cracked and the air coming in smells cold. When Sonny went for a run in Central Park the day before, the leaves were nearly gone, and what precious few were left were anything but green. _

 

_ Rafael snorts and curls his arm around Sonny’s shoulders, pulling him in closer. “Of course I do. Do you?” _

 

_ “Yeah. You hated me,” Sonny replies.  _

 

_ “I did not hate you!” Rafael protests. “Well… maybe a little. I was territorial. I didn’t hate you.” _

 

***

 

Rafael hates him. He hates the way this new detective smells. It’s not bad-- quite the contrary. Detective Carisi smells like nice cologne and soil and like he brushes his teeth multiple times a day. However he also smells like wolf, and Rafael can’t tolerate that. It’s bad enough that he lives and works in the city, when the wolf in his bones aches to run through the woods and howl at the moon. Now he has to contend with another werewolf moving right in amongst his colleagues, his friends?

 

“Hi,” Carisi says.

 

“Can I help you?” Rafael replies flatly, staring up at Carisi, wondering if Carisi is savvy enough to know what Rafael is -- and how dangerous it might be to mess with Rafael. 

 

“Just sayin’ hi.” Carisi meets Rafael’s eyes.

 

“Greetings aside, is there a reason you’re standing before me? I have work to get done.” Rafael shoves a folder into his briefcase. 

 

“I just, uh… I’m going to night school to get a law degree and--”

 

“And you want my help?” Rafael arches an eyebrow. “Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not much the offering kind.”

 

“You could consider me a charity case,” Carisi says with a wink. When Rafael doesn’t smile, Carisi’s expression falls, just slightly.

 

Rafael can scent disappointment in the air. “I’m an ADA. I know what a charity case looks like.” 

 

“Just give me a shot,” Carisi says quietly. “I won’t bug you. I swear.”

 

“What do you think you’re doing now?” Rafael asks, and those puppy-dog eyes coming from Carisi shake his resolve. He sighs. “Fine. I’ll look over your work. You can show up, sit down, and keep your mouth quiet. Can you do that?”

 

Carisi grins. “I can.”

 

“Good.” Rafael turns back to his files and paperwork. “Anything else?”

 

Carisi opens his mouth for a moment, then closes it, shaking his head. “No. Thank you.”

 

***

_ “It took us a while, but we got there,” Sonny teases lightly, nudging Rafael.  _

 

_ “You didn’t give me many options.” Rafael pokes Sonny’s side. “Let’s go. I’m gonna pop the rooftop door open.” _

 

_ “How romantic,” Sonny replies with a snicker. “Taking me to the roof to stare at the sky.” _

 

_ “Yeah and maybe I’ll consider not throwing you off the roof, while we’re up there. Get a jacket.” Rafael is already up and pulling out Sonny’s Fordham Law hoodie to bundle up in. _

 

_ “Staring at the sky is our thing!” Sonny insists. He reaches for Rafael’s coat, and Rafael makes a face but allows Sonny to put the coat on. _

 

***

 

It’s months and cases later when Carisi becomes Sonny and nights out for a few drinks become more frequent in their lives, when Sonny finally says something.

 

“All this time,” Sonny murmurs, looking at Rafael, who is staring out the window at a waxing gibbous moon -- on its way to a full Hunter’s Moon. “You’ve known. Haven’t you?”

 

Rafael finally turns his head to look at Sonny. “Of course. Since day one.”

 

“You know everything,” Sonny says, and it doesn’t sound like a slight or meant to be offensive. Sometimes it really does feel like Rafael Barba knows everything.

 

“I don’t. Don’t say that. But I did know from the moment I met you.” Rafael pauses and smirks. “Smelled like wet dog.”

 

“Liar. You and I both know that’s a load of shit.” Sonny is grinning right back at Rafael. “Because I never thought you smelled like that. You never said anything.”

 

“Of course not. It’s not something you start off introductions with. And I’ve met plenty of others before,” Rafael says. “There’s more of us in this city than you’d think, Staten Island Boy.”

 

“But now--”

 

“Now you want to know things,” Rafael guesses. He notices Sonny look away. “Hey. I don’t blame you… that’s being a good detective. You want to know things. And that’s good. You ask questions. That’s being a good lawyer. Ask away. Maybe… maybe I’ll answer them.”

 

“Born or bitten?”

 

“Bitten, but it runs in the family. My mother is human. It was my father’s side… a cousin, a stupid mistake,” Rafael says quietly. “Same question.”

 

“Born.” Sonny nudges Rafael, hoping to make him laugh. “Both parents, all my sisters. Can you imagine that many angry teenage weres?” His eyes flash honey-gold, and Rafael’s flash right back.

 

“Not a chance,” Rafael replies instantly, shuddering. “Nightmares for weeks about that now.”

 

“How old when you got the bite?” Sonny asks, leaning closer to Rafael.

 

Rafael stares up at the moon again, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.. “Twelve. I prayed for the full month that it wouldn’t take but by the next moon… I knew.”

 

Sonny’s forehead creases. “Do you hate it? I mean-- if it runs in your family…”

 

“I don’t hate it. It’s just a part of me. I’m so many things, Sonny,” Rafael says gently. “And it was so long ago that this is just… me. And how I live.”

 

“You don’t sound like you love it, though,” Sonny mumbles.

 

“Well… I feel pretty packless and that certainly doesn’t help that lone wolf feeling. And being a city wolf is tough too. I’d much rather be running in the forest, instead of curled up on the carpet in my apartment, but it’s not exactly feasible to go on vacation once a month and miss work that frequently.” Rafael squeezes Sonny’s arm. “But I’m happy with who I am.” The tension in Rafael eases a little when he sees Sonny smile.

 

Sonny eyes Rafael and offers a wide grin as he says, “Nice to hear. When I’m as old as you, will I be happy too?”

 

“Old and wise,” Rafael fires back. “We can’t all be a young buck like you. Besides, knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

 

“Dumbledore?” Sonny asks curiously.

 

Rafael can’t even begin to try and mask his sigh. “Aristotle.” He meets Sonny’s eyes and it’s clear that there’s mischief there.

 

“I knew it wasn’t Dumbledore. I just wanted to see your face,” Sonny confesses, and touches Rafael’s cheek. Rafael leans into Sonny’s touch without realizing that he’s doing it.

 

***

 

_ “I won you over,” Sonny says triumphantly. “Didn’t I? Because I got all this charm, Raf.” _

 

_ “You’ve got a big mouth.” Rafael glances at Sonny as they settle on the rooftop, staring up at the moon. “But I’ve grown accustomed to it.” _

 

_ “That’s the charm,” Sonny declares. He leans into Rafael, putting his head against Rafael’s neck. “Plus you think my werewolf eyes are hot.” _

 

_ “Fifth,” Rafael retorts immediately. “No comment. I cannot and will not incriminate myself to answer that.” _

 

_ “Mmm, fine,” Sonny grumbles a little. “Then stop movin’. You make a good pillow and you smell good.” _

 

_ “Yes, sir, of course, sir. Alpha Carisi demands and I obey,” Rafael snarked, but he did stop moving, and held Sonny closer. “Better?” _

 

_ Sonny smiles a soft smile. “Better.” _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This was for cypress_tree and also a particular nicole and I adore them and they encourage me :)
> 
> Also I just like my boys being werewolves.


End file.
